( -'/.i 


P/.M. 

■JAPAV 


QBoarbtng  ■ oof 


TOKYO 


.No..  6. 


txm 


* JAPAN 


Price  3 cents, 


BY  MRS.  J.  T.  GRACEY 


SKETCH  OF  BOARDING  SCHOOL  AT  TOKYO,  JAPAN. 


HE  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  commenced  mission  work  in 
Japan  in  1873.  Woman’s  work  was  made  possible  by  the  gen- 
erosity of  Mrs  De  Pauw  of  Indiana,  who  contributed  one  thou- 
sand dollars  to  open  the  work  and  to  send  the  first  representative 
of  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society  to  that  interesting 
country.  Miss  Dora  Schoonmaker  went  from  the  Northwest- 
ern Branch  and  landed  at  Yokohama,  October,  1874,  and  the  following  month 
went  to  Tokyo  to  begin  her  special  work.  The  ground  had  already  been  prepared 
for  her  by  our  pioneer  missionary  in  that  city,  the  Rev.  Julius  Soper.  As 
foreigners  could  not  at  that  time  reside,  or  even  sleep,  outside  the  foreign  con- 
cession without  special  government  permission.  Miss  Schoonmaker  boarded  with 
Mr.  Soper’s  family  for  a year  or  more,  travelling  to  and  from  her  work  in 
jinrikishas. 

On  November  16  her  school  was  opened  at  a house  not  far  from  the  residence 
of  Mr.  Sen  Tsuda,  under  whose  patronage  the  school  was  made  possible.  Indeed, 
this  was  a great  undertaking  for  that  day  in  Japan.  There  were  probably  at  that 


3 


time  but  two  girls’  schools  in  the  empire.  Mr.  Tsuda  and  his  wife  canvassed  the 
neighborhood  for  girls  for  Miss  Schoonmaker's  school.  But  to  send  girls  to 
school,  particularly  to  a foreign  teacher,  was  dreadful ; no  indeed,  they  would  not 
send  their  girls  though  taught  for  nothing.  The  school  opened  with  five  pupils, 
three  of  whom  were  Mr.  Tsuda  and  his  two  boys.  The  Japanese  were  to  pay  all 
incidental  expenses.  It  was  not  long  before  the  house  occupied  was  conveniently 
lequired  for  other  purposes,  and  a new  location  had  to  be  sought,  and  the  school 
was  soon  required  to  move  again.  In  a dark  storehouse  the  school  was  con- 
ducted and  Mr.  Soper  regularly  opened  preaching  services. 

Another  change  of  location  for  Miss  Schoonmaker  had  to  be  made  — five 
such  changes  during  the  first  nine  months — this  time  to  a small  temple  on  a 
hill  near  by.  In  spite  of  the  many  changes  the  school  continued  to  grow  in 
interest  and  numbers  and  the  proportion  of  girls  increased.  On  July  ii,  1875 
in  this  little  temple  on  the  hill,  was  begun  the  first  Bible  class  connected  with  the 
school.  Six  or  eight  Japanese  women  and  girls  were  present  and  gave  close 
attention  while  the  foreign  teacher  endeavored,  by  the  use  of  a strange  tongue,  to 
tell  the  story  of  the  Cross. 

It  now  became  evident  to  Miss  Schoonmaker,  as  it  has  to  many  a worker 
since,  that  to  attain  much  success  she  must  have  a boarding  school.  So  after 


4 


prayerful  consideration  it  was  decided  to  open,  in  that  same  vicinity,  a boarding 
school  for  girls  Mr.  Tsuda  became  the  manager  of  the  school,  secured  permis- 
sion to  open  such  an  institution  and  for  the  foreigner  to  reside  outside  the  foreign 
concession.  This  was  a bold  step.  The  school  found  shelter  in  a Buddhist 
temple.  The  priest  and  his  idol  held  possession  of  one  end  of  this  ancient 
structure,  while  Miss  Schoonmaker  and  her  Christian  school  found  a home  in  the 
other  end  of  the  same  building.  Here  for  fourteen  months  Christianity  and 
idolatry  dwelt  under  the  same  roof,  and  God’s  blessing  was  upon  the  school, 
which  was  then  called  the  Kyusei  Gakko  (Salvation  School).  Although  the  con- 
tract had  been  carefully  made,  giving  to  the  Christian  teacher  the  right  to  teach 
Christianity,  and  to  put  her  sign  upon  the  entrance  gate,  yet  troubles  occasionally 
arose  through  complaints  of  the  priest  at  the  manifestation  of  so  much  Christianity. 
However,  a greatly  reduced  income  and  consequent  need  of  the  rental  money  he 
received  led  him  to  withdraw  his  objections  and  the  school  went  on.  Eleven 
boarders  cheered  the  Christian  teacher  and  the  enrollment  soon  reached  thirty- 
five. 

On  April  9,  1876,  four  of  the  pupils  of  this  little  school  having  finished  satis- 
factorily their  six  months’  probation,  received  the  sacrament  of  Christian  baptism, 
and  were  received  as  full  members  of  the  church.  Of  these  four  first  converts  of 


5 


the  school,  some  are  still  living,  occupying  prominent  positions  as  Christian 
workers. 

At  the  close  of  the  first  year  Miss  Schoonmaker  wrote  : “ The  year  has  had  its 
sad  and  joyful  experiences,  its  successes  and  failures,  its  days  when  the  work 
seemed  fair  and  promising,  days  when  opposition  rose  in  unexpected  quarters, 
when  plans  that  looked  brightest  came  to  naught,  but  over  all  and  through  all  has 
been  one  steady,  changeless  light,  God’s  love.  In  my  experiences  of  house  hunt- 
ing I could  tell  of  long  jinrikisha  rides  over  rough  roads,  of  landlords  who  half 
promised  their  house  and  then  afterward  declined  to  receive  me  as  tenant,  of 
others  who  wholly  promised  and  then  quietly  bade  me  search  elsewhere  as  though 
a promise  meant  nothing,  and  I was  forced  to  believe  that  there  were  two  things 
utterly  impossible  in  Japan,  viz.,  to  keep  an  appointment  and  tell  the  truth.” 

September  27  brought  as  assistant  to  Miss  Schoonmaker,  Miss  Olive  Whit- 
ing. It  was  the  good  fortune  of  these  ladies  that  by  January,  1877,  the  new 
building  for  their  school,  on  a fine  location  purchased  for  the  purpose  at  No.  13, 
Tsukiji,  had  been  completed  so  that  they  occupied  it. 

This  was  a wonderful  change  and  improvement  for  the  school,  but  it  re- 
quired several  months  of  earnest  effort  to  win  back  the  students  naturally  drifting 
away  through  the  change  of  location,  or  to  fill  their  places  with  others ; but  from 


6 


the  first  God’s  blessing  was  upon  the  new  venture,  so  that  even  by  the  end  of  the 
year  an  additional  building  as  large  as  the  first  was  required  and  constructed  to 
house  the  pupils. 

Meetings  for  women,  prayer  and  class  meetings,  multiplied  with  the  growth  of 
the  school  so  that  its  influence  spread  afar,  and  sixteen  of  the  pupils  received 
baptism.  Miss  M.  A.  Spencer  and  Miss  Mary  J.  Holbrook  joined  the  school 
October  21,  1878,  and  have  done  a work  of  great  importance  for  Japanese  girls 
and  women. 

Miss  Schoonmaker’s  health  now  began  to  show  definite  signs  of  failure,  and 
on  November  3,  1879,  ®he  sailed  for  home  on  furlough,  not  since  to  return  to  the 
field.  She  barely  escaped  having  to  take  part  in  the  shocking  experiences  which 
befell  the  school  December  26,  when  the  building,  and  all  the  property  of  the  in- 
mates, together  with  a large  portion  of  Tsukiji,  was  destroyed  by  fire.  Without 
homes,  without  books,  without  food  and  almost  without  clothing,  our  ladies  had  to 
face  the  winter  and  the  demoralized  work.  Immediate  plans  were  made  for  re- 
opening the  work  and  for  constructing  new  buildings.  Through  the  kindly 
offices  of  the  Hon.  John  A.  Bingham,  U.  S.  Minister,  permission  was  obtained 
from  the  Japanese  government  to  rent  a suitable  building  for  the  girls’  school. 
This  was  immediately  fitted  up,  and  the  school  continued  there  for  more  than  a 


7 


year,  during  which  time  a substantial  building  was  being  constructed  on  the  site 
of  the  one  burned. 

This  new  building  was  formally  opened  September  13,  1881,  and  was 

immediately  crowded  with  students.  These  opening  services  were  attended  by 
the  governor  of  Tokyo  accompanied  by  his  wife,  by  the  Hon.  John  A.  Bingham, 
and  by  other  distinguished  guests,  all  of  whom  expressed  great  satisfaction  with 
the  school.  This  new  building  cost  $10,000  and  was  well  lighted  and  ventilated. 
During  its  construction  a severe  typhoon  laid  it  level  with  the  ground,  and  much 
delayed  completion. 

The  revival  of  1883,  w'hich  brought  such  spiritual  uplift  generally  to  the 
young  church  in  Japan,  was  felt  in  a marked  degree  by  the  Tsukiji  school.  From 
the  previous  September  much  religious  interest  had  been  manifest,  and  one  by  one 
the  girls  had  yielded  to  the  power  of  the  Spirit,  until  twenty  had  been  convened 
and  w’ere  all  baptized  March  18.  Still  they  prayed  for  power  and  a deeper  work 
of  grace,  and  clearly  were  their  prayers  answered,  when,  on  an  April  evening, 
twenty-seven  came  into  the  clear  light  of  acceptance  with  God.  Of  twenty-six 
pupils,  a number  were  soundly  converted,  and  spent  the  spring  vacation  in 
telling  their  home  friends  of  the  new  joy  they  had  found. 

The  reports  of  1884  show  eighty  pupils  in  attendance,  half  of  whom  were 


Christians.  Graduates  had  begun  to  marry  and  erect  Christian  homes.  One 
graduate  having  a poetical  gift  greatly  assisted  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Davison  in  the 
preparation  of  the  Methodist  Hymnal. 

Miss  Anna  P.  Atkinson  came  to  the  school  in  November,  1882.  From  the 
fall  of  1884  Miss  R.  J.  Watson  became  connected  with  this  work,  Miss  Holbrook 
returning  home  on  furlough,  and  Miss  M.  A.  Spencer  taking  charge  of  the  work 
among  the  women.  In  August,  1886,  Miss  Mary  A.  Vance  came  to  take  the 
place  of  Miss  Atkinson,  who  had  returned  to  America. 

It  was  now  deemed  necessary  to  find  laager  accommodations-for  the  school, 
and  in  August,  1887,  the  members  of  the  W.  F.  M.  S.  were  allowed  the  use,  by 
the  Parent  Board,  of  land  at  Aoyama  on  which  to  erect  buildings  for  the  higher 
grades  of  the  girls’  school 

The  erection  of  school  buildings  on  the  new  location  was  completed  Novem- 
ber, 1888,  and  October  i of  the  same  year  the  Aoyama  Jo  Gakuin  was  opened. 
The  separation  of  the  preparatory  department  at  Tsukiji  from  the  higher  grade 
work  now  removed  to  Aoyama  proved  greatly  beneficial  to  both  departments. 
Miss  Anna  P.  Atkinson,  Miss  Vance  and  Miss  Mary  E.  Atkinson  had  charge  of 
the  Aoyama  work,  while  Miss  Kaulback  and  Miss  Pardoe  conducted  that  at 
Tsukiji.  Miss  E.  R.  Bender  joined  the  work  at  Aoyama  in  1889,  in  place  of 


9 


Miss  Mary  Atkinson,  and  Miss  Frances  E.  Phelps  took  the  place  of  Miss  Kaul, 
back  in  Tsukiji.  Miss  Josephine  Carr  gave  assistance  to  the  work  in  Aoyama- 
and,  though  but  a visitor  to  the  field,  rendered  valuable  services. 

In  1891  Miss  Bender  became  principal  of  the  Aoyama  school,  where  she 
remained  until  her  return  on  furlough  in  1895.  To  note  a few  other  changes  in 
the  personnel  of  the  foreign  teachers,  Miss  De  Motte  joined  the  work  in  1892, 
Miss  M.  H.  Russell  in  1895.  and  Miss  Imhof  had  charge  of  the  industrial  depart- 
ment during  Miss  Blackstock’s  furlough  in  America. 

The  building  at  13,  Tsukiji,  having  been  condemned  after  the  earthquake,  the 
school  work  at  that  place  was  discontinued  in  1895. 

Crandon  Hall,  named  in  honor  of  Mfs.  F.  P.  Crandon,  Secretary  of  the 
Northwestern  Branch,  the  new  building  for  Aoyamajo  Gakuin,  completed  in  1899, 
has  greatly  increased  the  school’s  facilities  for  useful  work. 

During  the  school's  entire  history  it  has  been  a great  blessing  to  both  the 
educational  and  evangelistic  departments  of  work.  Its  religious  tone  has  always 
been  high,  and  few  students  have  ever  left  its  halls  without  being  impressed  with 
Christian  truth,  while  the  boarding  students  have  in  great  majority  made  open 
profession  of  faith  in  Christ.  Many  of  the  students  have  gone  out  to  erect 
Christian  homes,  to  become  Bible-women,  or  the  wives  of  Christian  pastors  and 


10 


teachers.  Hundreds  of  homes  have  felt  new  life  through  the  presence  of  these 
Christian  girls. 

The  Missionary  Society  in  the  school  maintains  an  interest  and  helps  in  the 
Loo  Choo  Islands  work  ; the  King’s  Daughters  work  in  many  ways  ; while  the 
Temperance  Society  continues  to  send  flowers  to  the  sick  in  hospitals  and  other 
places,  besides  contributing  to  the  increase  of  temperance  sentiment  and  principles 
in  many  homes.  The  girls  also  share  in  the  work  of  four  Sunday-schools,  besides 
the  one  connected  with  our  own  school.  Small  services  these  may  be,  but  they 
tend  to  the  building  up  of  Christ’s  kingdom  in  Japan. 

The  celebration  of  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  the  opening  of  the  school 
occurred  in  November, '99.  Former  pupils  and  teachers  gathered  in  large  numbers 
and  with  song,  speech  and  prayer  reviewed  the  past,  contrasting  the  then  and 
710W,  and  giving  thanks  to  God  for  what  their  eyes  have  seen  during  these  twenty- 
five  years.  Mr.  Tsuda  and  Dr.  Soper  gave  brief  accounts  of  difficulties  met  and 
overcome  in  the  early  days,  before  the  school  could  open.  Five  pupils  who  were 
enrolled  at  the  opening  of  the  school  were  present  at  the  anniversary  and  gave 
interesting  and  amusing  accounts  of  their  experiences. 

This  school  now  has  an  enrollment  of  169  pupils,  over  one  hundred  of 
whom  are  boarders  there. 


W.  F.  M.  S. 

Leaflets  on  Japan 

Japan — Flag  Series,  No.  3 - - - 

Something  Better  _ . _ . 

Why  Send  Missionaries  to  Japan? 

Nagasaki — Boarding  School  Series,  No.  5 
Tokyo — Boarding  School  Series,  No.  6 - 

A Disturbing  Dream  (appeal  for  the  Japanese  paper) 
A Japanese  Idea  of  Heaven  _ _ _ 

The  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun  _ _ _ 


SKNl)  OHDEKS  TO  PU ISLIC  ATION  OFITCK  OF 

Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
36  Bromfield  Street,  Boston. 


5 cents 
2 cents 

2 cents 

3 cents 
3 cents 

I cent 
I cent 
10  cents 


Church, 


